Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Prez Jordan's Review of Invaders Must Die Part I

Well this is kind of an ilictronix first, but don't be surprised to see some more of these in the future. I'm going to do an in-depth review of an album, and possibly post some second opinions. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post the entire album, which will go against copyright laws. So let's get started.

Invaders Must Die is the fifth studio album from our favorite brits, The Prodigy. The album was released in Germany on February 20th, hit the rest of Europe by the 23rd, and is coming to the United States on March 4th. The Japanese edition also contains two bonus tracks, totalling 13 tracks. I will give a brief review on each track, then some final thoughts. Let's do this sh*t.

Invaders Must Die - This track was released digitally in summer 2008 and boy was I happy. It starts fairly modest, then explodes in your face like something out of Boys Noize. This is certainly a track worthy of blasting. To top it all off, the album version is extended and has an even bigger buildup. It also closes with a nice arcade-feeling riff. Sorry to disappoint, but this happens to be my favorite tracks on the entire album. Downside? This track doesn't really seem like a Prodigy track, to be honest.

Omen - This track was also released digitally before the album, on February 16th. It has a shrieking, metallic lead similar to Invaders Must Die and sounds truly hardcore. The epic shout-vocals make this track more and more intense. Omen will take you on a roller-coaster ride, starting soft, then becoming strong before going soft again, and so on. At about 2 minutes in, the song decides to break apart and a sweet xylophone-ish riff plays. Overall, this song is hardcore and something to blast from your window. Downside? This track also doesn't seem like The Prodigy's other stuff. Although it's not a bad thing, it just seems out of place. It can also get a bit repetitive, but who am I, a French House fan, to talk

Thunder - When I started this track, I immediately gave a WTF look at my computer monitor. After listen to two hardcore rock songs, a reggae sound begins to play from my speakers. Fortunately, this song sounds like it was made by The Prodigy. The breakdown halfway through the song gives a breath of fresh air and afterwards plays an amazing lead riff. Two thumbs up to this song.

Colours - In the first 10 seconds, you can tell this is a Prodigy track. Listening another 20 seconds, it sounds like a British pop-rock song, which shocked me. This track is pretty good, but I didn't really hear anything original from it. I thought the vocals were a little lack luster, and the lead synth seemed far too generic for me.

Take Me To The Hospital - This song sounds like it was from Prodigy's first album. The various vocals in this track are phenomenal, and the constant riff adds to the excitement. I found myself singing this song in my head all day. The chipmunk voice is so addicting and the electric organ just blends so well, even though it may at first seem out of place. Overall, amazing song- a close second.

Warriors Dance - To be honest, it was near impossible to make it through this entire song. The unoriginal bassline almost sounded like someone passing gas and the lead playing over it was pretty annoying. At around halfway, some girl sounding like Pat Benatar jumps in and pretty much ended it for me. After that, nothing really changes. A disappointment to me :-(.

So far:3.5 / 5

Pros - Nice hardcore sound. Pretty good leads, for the most part. Song structure is pretty solid. Vocals are excellent, with a few exceptions.Cons - Can get repetitive. Doesn't sound much like The Prodigy. A few songs were simply atrocious.My Favorites - Invaders Must Die, Take Me To The Hospital, Omen (in order)Buy Or Pass? - I would say go with iTunes and purchase my three favorites. Wait for Part II for a final verdict before buying.

I wouldn't hold your opinion of any track as permanent just yet. I was expecting something terrible out of Stand Up at first, and I thought I had gotten it, but looking back it's a great song. I also think Warrior's Dance was a real highlight - some classic breakbeats with a "No Good"-style vocal sample over it.